Agnes Börjesson

AGNES BÖRJESSON (Sweden, 1827 - 1900)
"Patio de los Leones, Alhambra".
Oil on canvas.
Signed and located in the lower left corner.
Golden frame, with some faults.
Measurements: 46 x 29 cm; 67 x 51 cm (frame).

This work of the Swedish painter Agnes Börjesson is a representation of costumbrista and romantic style of the Patio de los Leones of the Alhambra in Granada. The artist captures the architectural magnificence of the site, while infusing the scene with an atmosphere of everyday life and exoticism that is typically nineteenth-century.

The composition focuses on a view of the courtyard, highlighting its most iconic element: the Fountain of the Lions. Börjesson depicts Nasrid architecture in great detail: the gallery surrounding the courtyard, with its delicate, slender marble columns supporting horseshoe arches finely decorated with plasterwork. The artist places special emphasis on the play of light, a defining characteristic of this space. Sunlight shines brightly into the courtyard, intensely illuminating the columns, while the interior of the galleries remains in refreshing shadow.

In the shaded area of the gallery, two Arabs in robes and turbans converse under the muqarnas. And next to the fountain, a young man of African descent holds a pitcher over one shoulder. The three figures recall the multicultural splendor of Al-Andalus. Another lively element is the birds fluttering around the waterfall.

The color palette is warm, dominated by the ochre, earthy, white and gray tones of the stone and marble, which contrast with the more defined colors of the characters' clothing.

The style of the painting is realistic and detailed, typical of Börjesson's academic training. However, the inclusion of characters from other periods, the treatment of light and the general atmosphere place it within the current of Romanticism and Orientalism, very popular among European artists of the 19th century who traveled to Spain in search of exoticism and a picturesque past. The work conveys a sense of peace, nostalgia and admiration for the historical and legendary beauty of the place.

Agnes Börjesson was the daughter of Protestant pastor and playwright Johan Börjesson and Fredrika Gustava Fock. She studied art at the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts in Stockholm from 1849 and in Copenhagen from 1852 to 1853. In Stockholm she was a pupil from 1854 to 1856 of Johan Christoffer Boklund, and from 1857 she worked with Benjamin Vautier. In 1865 she spent some time in Paris and in the same year she settled in Italy. In Rome, in 1870, she frequented her friend, the Swedish painter Sofie Ribbing. Agnes Börjesson decided to take up residence in Italy, while continuing to send her paintings to Sweden, to participate in exhibitions organized by the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, of which she became a full member in 1872. She was enchanted by the luminosity of the Italian landscapes, especially the coasts. In Italy, pictorial movements were born and mingled that promoted the rediscovery of the natural landscape. Agnes Börjesson distanced herself from academicism by choosing a palette of delicate tones with a large, soft brush that left large layers of color on the canvas. She was tempted by the experimentation of divisionism. She visited Venice and the beaches of Sicily, choosing Liguria, where she spent her last years. Works by her are preserved in the National Museum in Stockholm.